sensationalism

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. The use of sensational matter or methods, especially in writing, journalism, or politics.

n. Sensational subject matter.

n. Interest in or the effect of such subject matter.

n. Philosophy The theory that sensation is the only source of knowledge.

n. The ethical doctrine that feeling is the only criterion of good.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. The use of sensational subject matter, style or methods, or the sensational subject matter itself; behavior, published materials, or broadcasts that are intentionally controversial, exaggerated, lurid, loud, or attention-grabbing. Especially applied to news media in a pejorative sense that they are reporting in a manner to gain audience or notoriety but at the expense of accuracy and professionalism.

n. A theory of philosophy that all knowledge is ultimately derived from the senses.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

n. The doctrine held by Condillac, and by some ascribed to Locke, that our ideas originate solely in sensation, and consist of sensations transformed; sensualism; -- opposed to intuitionalism, and rationalism.

n. The practice or methods of sensational writing or speaking.

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. In philosophy, the theory or doctrine that all our ideas are solely derived through our senses or sensations; sensualism.

n. Sensational writing or language; the presentation of matters or details of such a nature or in such a manner as to thrill the reader or to gratify vulgar curiosity: as, the sensationalism of the press.

I am sorry, Mr. Goldsmith, Civil War was a gratuitous exercise in sensationalism, trying to take silly ideas like Superhero Blockbuster (it is formatted very much like a Bay movie), applying a demagoguery hamfisted, hollywood-liberal demagoguery to it.